


don't keep love around

by astraljun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Temporarily Unrequited Love, background markno, but that's not really important to the plot, fwb to lovers, hyuck/mark/jaem are witches, kinda pwp i guess, more characters & ships to be added, oh and they switch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:15:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21905062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astraljun/pseuds/astraljun
Summary: when renjun gives up on love, donghyuck seems to be his solution. they're friends who fuck, and that's where they draw the line. but things start to get messy when renjun finds love again and this time, it's donghyuck.(or : the renhyuck fwb/unrequited love fic no one asked for, with a hint of witchcraft)
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Comments: 7
Kudos: 42





	don't keep love around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> renjun goes to get a tarot card reading to help with his problematic love life, but ends up getting more than what he'd expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi thanks for checking this out ! this is literally my first time posting something here so- *clown emoji* don't expect much aha
> 
> this is a non-linear narrative so i'd advise everyone to take note of the dates !! and also my tenses that are all over the place in this fic i'm so sorry,, i'll edit when i have time :')
> 
> and before we start here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/yingxin15/playlist/5cwiyWkqD2it8tFTXgD1Sd?si=uluGFoTkTZKKU6lxZHOt3w) for this chapter~

_ 28 january, 2020 _

"hyuck, get the fuck off of my desk."

donghyuck only looks up from his phone, blinking innocently as he kicks his legs back and forth, "why should i ? i'm nice and comfortable here."

renjun withholds the urge to wrestle the boy off the furniture, resorting to only rolling his eyes, "it's one a.m. and i have a research paper due at noon. so please do me a great favour and get your ass off my desk."

"you love this ass though," donghyuck winked, clicking his tongue flirtatiously, inching forward on the desk to where renjun is standing, "can't you finish the paper tomorrow morning ? i'm bored."

"you being bored is none of my business," renjun shoots back, grabbing the other boy behind the knees in an attempt to pull him off the table.

in a split second, donghyuck curls his hands around renjun's arms, hauling the smaller boy forward and between his legs.

renjun, caught off guard, gasps lightly as donghyuck's legs wrap around his thin waist, trapping him in.

the movement caused just a slight contact of their crotch against each other, but it was enough to make renjun's breath hitch.

"am i not doing you a favour now, injunnie ?" the words slide out of donghyuck's mouth like smooth silk soaked in honey, a sly grin decorating his lips as he looks down at renjun's own.

and despite himself, renjun is catching onto the silk, and lets himself be drawn in by donghyuck, eager to taste the honey-sweet reward that is his lips.

it is slow, mouth upon mouth, more tongue than renjun would've liked, but he relishes in it nonetheless because he has yet to find something that tastes sweeter than donghyuck.

donghyuck makes a small satisfied sound that gets muffled by their kisses, and starts rutting his hips against renjun's, hands moving up to grasp onto the shorter's shoulders in a vice-like grip. renjun reciprocates the action by moving his hips to the rhythm donghyuck has set for them, a poorly concealed moan tumbling past his lips.

"fuck, this is why i never get anything done when you come over," renjun gasps out, raspy and breathy when they pull apart for air.

donghyuck, unfazed if not more turned on, drags his lips down past renjun's jawline, leaving a trail of cooling saliva in its wake, "i'm pretty sure coming from my fingers alone  _ is _ getting something done, is it not ?"

"you're- shameless," renjun chokes out, breaths quickening as donghyuck slides a hand down the small of his back towards his ass.

"you love me," donghyuck shoots back happily, and renjun feels his chest contract at the sudden, careless confession.

donghyuck seems to feel renjun's shoulders tense, and pulls away from his neck, "ah sorry... didn't actually mean it like love  _ love _ ," donghyuck babbles, "well, unless…" he eyes renjun suggestively.

renjun swallows the lump in his throat, willing for his body to relax. donghyuck is joking, not even considering it as a possibility at all. renjun steels himself and rolls his eyes, hopefully convincing enough, "yeah you wish, idiot."

it works, and donghyuck laughs, his exhales warm against renjun's neck where he'd attached his lips to once again, "so correction : you love my dick."

renjun feels donghyuck smirk against his neck, tongue flitting out to lick kittenishly at his skin, and barely manages to get out a "fuck you" before donghyuck pushes him off, turns him around and slams him against the wall opposite with an urgent hand down his underwear, forefinger tracing renjun's rim lightly, teasingly, a firm promise of something more to come.

"you can do that next time, injunnie."

even with his back turned, renjun could hear donghyuck's grin through his words.

"but for tonight, try not to wake the neighbours."

❂

renjun thought that it happened gradually, whatever it was between him and donghyuck. like clouds shrouding the waning moon, slowly plummeting the night into darkness. yet at the same time, it was fast, too fast, like the abrupt nightfall during shortened winter days.

and renjun remembers exactly how it all went down.

_ 17 october, 2019 _

it was in a way, really stupid. renjun knew it was an impulse-driven, most unscientifically proven, desperate decision to agree with jeno's idea of consulting a tarot card reader to help him with his love life.

but to be fair, renjun's encounters with love so far were unlucky to the point where it was almost comical.

here are the highlights :

the first one really takes the cake. liu yangyang, the first person renjun had been hit on by in highschool back in chinaㅡgot drunk at a party and stripped on top of a pool table. and... he ghosted renjun after that. was it due to embarrassment ? renjun supposes he'll never know. he was sad to see him go though.

then for a period of time, renjun really thought wen junhui was the one, but that was until he moved in with junhui. the older man didn't like renjun's cat, duskie, living in his apartment. said she was destroying furniture and dirtying the place, blah blah. and junhui wasn't even allergic or whatever. they had a big falling out because of that and of course, renjun preferred to stay with his baby duskie instead of a petty cat-hating boyfriend, so he took duskie with him, moved out of junhui's place and consequently, out of his life for good.

when renjun moved to seoul to for university, he met wong yukhei, also a chinese student. they got along pretty well, but they both decided that their relationship wasn't that serious. so when senior kim jungwoo came along a month later, yukhei went with him. renjun didn't blame him though. he genuinely thought jungwoo was better for yukhei than he was, and they're still friends to this day, no hard feelings. this, renjun thinks, is the only relationship that didn't end in the most ridiculous way possible.

and what about the most recent (out of dozens) blind date jeno had set up for him with a certain xiao dejunㅡin a bout of pity for his best friend ? some idiot who smoked in the lobby triggered the fire alarm in his apartment building and he was forced to evacuate outside fifteen minutes before the date. so he couldn't turn up in time and it was complete radio silence from dejun after that.

after many relationships lasting for only a maximum of 2 weeks, breakups and fallouts and tons of failed dates for blatantly childish, utterly stupid reasons, renjun is convinced that loveㅡwhatever or whoever it isㅡisn't taking him seriously.

either way, he's tired. so since a couple months ago, renjun has chosen to limit his social life to the confines of his best friend, jeno (because he suffered a breakup a year ago and is now painfully single too) and duskie, if pet cats count.

now however, it seems he'll be adding one more person to this pathetic list.

that is, if he will even open his door.

renjun is waiting (for a full minute already) outside a inconspicuous apartment door after knocking, rethinking his decision and why the tarot reader was taking so long to  _ just fucking answer his door _ .

did he get the wrong address ?

was the dude not home ?

it couldn't be. renjun had arranged this meeting beforehand through jeno, because apparently this tarot reader is the best friend of jeno's crush whom he met on instagram recently.

jeno and mark have been hanging out the past week, (much to renjun's dismay of needing to share his best friend yet again) though jeno says mark doesn't like him that way.

well, that's what jeno thinks.

jeno's easy to love, renjun knows that at the very least. the bastard who broke his heart a year ago... renjun couldn't fathom how he could bring himself to do it.

renjun hopes mark wouldn't end up being another asshole, or he'll have another ass to beat and a heartbroken jeno to deal with.

renjun and mark have never met, but he just about knows mark as well as an acquaintance will, or even more, because he's all jeno has been talking about for weeks. and that's how the fact that mark's best friend is a tarot card reader slipped out during one of jeno's many 'mark is the bestest boy' rants.

"his name's donghyuck," jeno had said, and then proceeded to suggest that renjun give him a visit to get a reading himself.

and that's how renjun ended up here, waiting for almost two minutes for a boy to let him into his apartment.

renjun knocks again impatiently, once, twice.

_ maybe he's just in the middle of some intense bowel movements _ , renjun's brain helpfully supplies.  _ who knows. _

rolling his eyes, renjun knocks on the door once more, before a voice floats from inside the apartment, honey-smooth and clipped at the edges with annoyance, "yeah yeah i'm coming, can't you just wait for a bit ?"

it sounds strangely familiar to renjun's ears, like déjà vu.

but he can't ponder over it now, because the boy sounds rude and indignation surges up renjun's throat and he parts his lips to shout a retort back through the still closed door-

it swung open.

"how may i help you, good sir ? my door's days are numbered after all that abuse."

renjun's lips are still parted, but now in surprise.

the boy standing in the doorway is... unexpected at the very least. renjun didn't actually have a solid idea of what a tarot card reader would look like, but definitely not like this.

the boyㅡdonghyuckㅡlooks like he'd just woken up from a nap. it's almost 3pm, but he's still in his pajamas, with messy hair, a yawn threatening to leave his mouth.

"are you serious ?" are the first words that tumble out of renjun's mouth.

a laugh tore out of the boy's throat, light and full of amusement. it's a pretty, addictive sound that renjun wants to hear more of, despite himself, "why ? not what you expected ?"

renjun resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, "i'm here to-"

"get a tarot reading, i know," donghyuck's giggle has watered down to a little knowing smirk on his face, "you must be jeno's friend renjun."

"if you knew it was me, then why're you being so rude ?" renjun accuses, though he can feel his anger slowly dissipating, "yelling at potential customers ? really ?"

"oh was i ? sorry, didn't mean to."

donghyuck didn't sound sorry at all.

"so are you gonna let me in or do we do the reading at your doorway ?" renjun raises an eyebrow.

flashing a gracious smile, donghyuck opens his door wide and gestures inside with a graceful wave (as graceful as anyone wearing corgi butt patterned pj's can get), "of course not, please come this way, good sir."

renjun exhales in exasperation and wills himself not to smile at donghyuck's antics as he removes his shoes and follows donghyuck into his apartment.

this boy is really something else.

donghyuck keeps up small talk as he leads renjun past his living room. the space is lit up with the late afternoon sunlight streaming in from the windows. instead of normal furniture, there is only one small couch, and lying around haphazardly are lots of old books, plants and jars filled with something and an assortment of other items that renjun can't identify.

"i'm usually not this unprofessional in front of customers, you know. but since you're jeno's friend..."

renjun isn't listening. his attention is on the array of cat snacks littered about the room and a black cushioned basket situated in a corner.

"you have a cat ?"

donghyuck nods, "yep, a black one. she's really pretty."

"oh nice, where is she ?" renjun starts turning back to look around.

donghyuck points towards the door with his thumb, "she's currently out, said she'll be back by sundown."

renjun thinks he'd heard wrong, "what ?"

donghyuck stops abruptly and turns around, almost making renjun run right into his chest (he isn't that much taller than renjun, but you get the idea). renjun wishes for the light blush dusting his cheeks to kindly fuck off.

donghyuck steps back and shoots renjun a strange look. then he frowns, heart-shaped lips tugging downwards, "you ask too many questions. now shush and sit."

it was then renjun realised they're now in donghyuck's bedroom.

he sat down across from donghyuck at a small table that's covered by a black velvet tablecloth with a delicate embroidery of little golden suns along the edges.

the design jumps out at him, and when he blinks, it's as if the golden sun is seared onto the back of his eyelids.  _ déjà vu ? again ? _

shaking it off, renjun looks around, and discovered that on his left was a curtain with similar embroidery secluding the other half of the bedroom.

the lighting here is dimmer, with only a window with curtains drawn halfway and a large sandalwood-scented candle illuminating the room, casting strange shadows from every angle of donghyuck's face, darkening his eyelashes as he focuses on shuffling a deck of tarot cards.

renjun though he saw golden sparkles flit about donghyuck's fingers as they handled the cards.

_ it must be a trick of the light _ , he thinks,  _ get your shit together. _

when donghyuck looks up, seemingly done shuffling, renjun catches his gaze.

the boy was looking at him with the same strange expression from earlier that renjun can't pinpoint. so instead of pondering over that, his eyes trailed over donghyuck's facial features, taking him in, not realising that donghyuck is doing the same.

_ he's… pretty i guess _ , renjun admits to himself,  _ even in those dumb corgi ass pj's, fucked up hair and shitty attitude. _

punctuating the tension in the air, soft tinkling sounds from the windchime by the window snapped them out of their little moment. and as they draw apart, renjun realises it's his first time seeing any inkling of embarrassment on donghyuck's face.

donghyuck cleared his throat,"it's a nice windchime, isn't it ?" he says, a tinge of pride in his voice. he had shaken off the blush on his cheeks and is now looking at the windchime.

it was made of a bronze-like metal, the main body of the wind chime is an elaborately designed sun with a feminine face painted gold, and renjun can almost swear it winked at him before he looked away.

great. not only is he getting tons of déjà vu, he's seeing things now.

renjun wonders if it's the air of donghyuck's apartment that he's breathing.

just before donghyuck turns back to face him, renjun notices a small tattoo of a sunㅡnot unlike those on the tablecloth and curtainsㅡbehind his ear.

and realisation hits him as a memory from not too long ago, presents itself in his mind. renjun feels blood rush to his face, and curses himself for not recognising donghyuck sooner.

_ 23 june, 2019 _

midterms had ended a couple days ago, and now renjun was a little tipsy and making out with a cute stranger at the back of a club.

the boy was pretty, as far as renjun could tell under the dim lighting, and his lithe body fit like a puzzle piece against renjun's own, honey-like voice whispering filth in his ear as he trailed kisses down the side of renjun's jaw.

groaning, renjun pulled back from the boy, grip harsh on his hips, before he flipped their positions, pinning the boy between the wall and himself, pushing their bodies impossibly closer.

the boy's gaze travelled down renjun's face, and before renjun could capture his lips, he had already parted them for him, pliant and eager, tongue darting out to meet his, a satisfied noise escaping his mouth.

renjun felt a hand feel up his torso under his shirt, cold skin against his own, and couldn't control the shudder that ran through him. he didn't know whether it was from the cold sensation, from excitement or both. renjun snuck a hand under the boy's crop top, running it over the smooth skin between his shoulder blades, as if provoking a challenge.

he hears the boy gasp, back arching under his touch, but also feels him smirk against his lips as his kisses turned almost bruising, accepting the challenge.

the boy then slid his hand south, rendering renjun breathless and biting back a moan as he inched lower and lower, slipping beneath renjun's waistband, palming him agonisingly slowly, friction dragging deliciously across his skin like wildfire.

"fuck," renjun hissed, breaths becoming erratic, shallow, and he looked up to see that the boy isn't doing any better. he was watching renjun, at how he was slowly becoming undone under his ministrations, arousal heavy in his gaze, and renjun could feel the boy's hardness through his jeans, a constant warm pressure against his hip.

renjun reached out, throwing his hand around the back of the boy's head, tangling his fingers in his hair and pulled. their lips collided in a another bruising kiss, this time more teeth than tongue. the boy whimpered, and the small noise was lost between their lips. renjun tugged on his hair again, wanting, needing to hear more.

it was addicting, headying. but renjun didn't want it to end like this. at least not here.

he pulled back, exhaling heavily, "yours or mine ?"

the boy seemed to understand what he meant, "yours," he breathed out, already prying himself off of renjun, dragging him out of the club.

thankfully renjun's apartment wasn't too far, so the uber driver didn't have to endure two boys messing around in his backseat. they had that much patience and civil-mindedness, at least.

the two of them made it to renjun's front door, and it was agonizing. the wait for renjun to dig out his keys, and unlock the door, fingers trembling with adrenaline and anticipation as the boy's eyes raked shamelessly down his body.

once the door slammed open, they stumbled into the apartment, lips and limbs instantly interlocked, as renjun kicked his door shut behind them and gave his cat a silent apology for what she would be witnessing tonight.

as the two boys collapsed onto the couch, duskie skittered away into the unoccupied bedroom, meowing soulfully.

renjun didn't even notice. the boy had already taken his shirt off for him and was making quick work of his jeans, lips still connected with renjun's.

they weren't really kissing now, just panting heavily against each other's lips as they discarded various articles of clothing from their bodies with haste.

once that was done, renjun has the boy trapped beneath him, with his arms on either side of his head on the couch, chest heaving from exhilaration.

renjun could see him better now, laid out prettily beneath him, his expanse of sun-drenched skin now all for renjun to see, lips flushed and shining with spit and face covered in gold. (renjun was sure it was makeup, or was it ?)

the boy returned renjun's scorching gaze with equal intensity as he asked, short, breathless, "what's your name ?"

renjun swallowed, his throat painfully dry. he could barely think with the air thickening from heat, curling around them like smoke, but he managed to get out a "renjun".

"so renjun… you gonna fuck me or do i have to do it myself ?" the boy smirked against renjun's lips, brushing over them lightly, almost feather-like, teasing, provoking.

renjun let out a low guttural sound and arched down, lips and body colliding against the boy's, hard and painful, but renjun relished in it, in how it stoked the fire curling deep in his gut.

the boy tasted like vodka, rebellion and sin and desire burning on renjun's tongue, scorching a path down his throat.

then it was quick, renjun soon came to realise, how fast he lost himself to this boy, to drown in him, in the headying feeling of their bodies melding into one.

it wasn't either of their first times, but this stood out from renjun's past experiences. or maybe this boy was just too good at it, at making renjun feel like he was the center of his world, like the sun's gravity pulling a planet off-kilter.

he was pulling them together, closer and closer and closer still, chasing, desperate, till there was nothing left but them both, encompassing the whole universe, before shattering, falling apart against each other, because of each other, giant supernovas reduced to dust, falling again.

and renjun did fall. he fell as he watched this beautiful boy come apart under him, whimpering and crying out, with renjun's marks blooming on his skin and his name loose on his tongue.

the last thing renjun remembered was the boy curling up on his chest, letting him drag his teeth over the little sun etched on the delicate skin behind his ear, before disappearing wordlessly, silently like he was supposed to, like the last hour of darkness letting daylight take its place in the morning.

_ 17 october, 2019 _

"what ?" donghyuck was staring at him with a look that held both curiosity and amusement, as if reading his thoughts, "you look like you've just had a revelation."

renjun blinked, feeling his mouth go dry and heat creeping further up his ears.

donghyuck had known it was him the whole time.

"oh god," renjun wailed into his hands, "you knew but you acted like it's our first time meeting ?"

donghyuck threw his head back, laughing for all he's worth, "damn, i thought you'd never realise."

"i'm not so dense !" renjun shoots back, mortified, and he may or may not be too hyperaware of how attractive donghyuck looks right now, sharp-eyed analysing his every reaction, with an even sharper tongue to match.

"dense enough to not ask for my name when you told me yours," donghyuck grins even wider, as if feeding off of renjun's mortification, "so how did it feel, hearing me say your name that night ?"

with that, the air shifts, and donghyuck's eyes darken as he ran them over renjun, his gaze almost predatory.

heat curls in renjun's gut, charged by the sudden electricity sparking the air between them. he seems to have lost the ability to communicate, to do anything, really.

renjun can only watch as donghyuck walks around the table towards him, eyes hooded and sultry, can only watch as donghyuck sits on his lap, straddling his hips.

renjun held his breath, anticipating, waiting for donghyuck to kiss him, touch him, to just  _ do something _ , but he stops moving in his lap, eyeing renjun carefully, hesitating.

he's asking for permission, renjun realises, a little surprised. donghyuck is looking for consent. he's making sure that renjun wants this too.

and somehow renjun finds him even more attractive than before.

"you can keep- keep going," renjun finally finds his words, his pulse quickening with anticipation.

donghyuck doesn't need to be told twice.

when he surges forward, lips meeting renjun's, slotting them together perfectly, renjun feels donghyuck smile into the kiss and thinks that perhaps, he doesn't need the tarot cards.

maybe, just maybe, the answer to his problem is right here on his lap, the human embodiment of the sun itself, kissing the daylights out of him.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading !! your thoughts and constructive criticism are very much appreciated :^) kudos and shares too if you think this even deserves any hhhh
> 
> also in case yall are wondering if markno will get more screentime,, more side characters will be introduced in the next chapters hehe
> 
> not sure if i'll have a posting schedule for this though since i'll be caught up with school when it starts,, but see you soon in the next chapter i guess ! if you'll be back that is :')


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